My Graduation Day #Throwback – 1990’s

My Graduation Day at the Constellation College of Hospitality in Toronto, Canada

The week before our graduation, I found out that everyone in our family can’t attend due to the fact that our graduation day was on a weekday. And they were all working so I invited my cousin and her hubby. They were glad to oblige my request and I told them that before the ceremony, there’s some cocktail party to greet and welcome the guests and then after the graduation, there’s a dinner and dance at the Banquet Ballroom at the Constellation Hotel and we will have to partake of a full 5-Course Dinner and have some of the famous Niagara Wines.

On My Graduation Day at the Constellation College of Hospitality seated with other Graduates

I drove to the school by myself and meet up with my cousin at the cocktail reception which have already started when we arrived. We greeted at the party our classmates with their parents and guests. After the cocktails hour was over, we were all invited to the other side of the Banquet Hall where the Graduation ceremony will start. I got my camera and camcorder on the tripod set-up ready to roll. Since my cousin is also good in taking photos, I handed her my Canon SLR camera and she started taking photos of us, the graduates marching to our seats and then one by one our names were called and we marched up to the stage accepting our College Diplomas, finishing successfully in Hotel and Restaurant Operations and Management Courses.

Accepting my Diploma from Staff and Director during our Graduation

A Photo taken after the Commencement Ceremony with my favorite Teacher.

It was such a well-organized presentation but there were no speeches by the Honour Students and only the School’s Director welcomed everyone who attended the graduation and after the applause, we all got to go to the stage and received our diplomas. Then when the ceremony was over, we were allowed to go back onstage and have our own photos taken by the Official School Photographer and also everybody were all so busy taking their own memorable pictures with their parents, guests and some of our teachers.

I invited my cousin and her hubby to attend my Graduation Day since my Family were not able to attend

The dinner and dance followed at the Banquet Ballroom of the Regal Constellation Hotel in Toronto and we were all seated at our respective tables and enjoyed a full 5-Course Dinner and served some of the famous Niagara Wines. There was a toast and some cheers for all the graduates and guests before dinner. After the great dinner, the band was invited to the ballroom hall and the dance session started and went on through the night. Everyone enjoyed the dinner and dance. Then all the graduates and guests left almost after midnight.

The Director and Staff during our Graduation were so busy with the preparation

It was a great and memorable day for all of us who graduated. When we first started taking the course on our orientation day, the school’s director and some of our teachers were present. Each and every one of the students enrolled were asked what their objectives were in taking that particular Hotel and Restaurant Operations and Management course. All of us had different purposes in taking the course, most of the young high school graduates wanted to take the course to be able to get a job in the hotel and restaurant industry after completion of the course successfully. Some of the students who are working as restaurant employees (waiters, assistant managers, etc) want to get promoted as head waiters and restaurant managers.

When my turn came up, I told them that honestly since I’ve just been laid off work and lost my job in the 1990 economic downturn, I am not interested in getting a job in the hotel or restaurant industry right now but rather, more than that my main purpose in enrolling on the course was to earn a diploma and learn the ins and outs of the industry and hopefully when I retire, I will be able to manage and own a hotel and restaurant business. The HRDC in the Canadian Government Agency have given us, the unemployed the chance to retrain and get new skills, then learn on courses sponsored by grants from the government’s action plans. Everyone in class was surprised and awed at the answer they heard from me. And then in turn, I was so proud of myself and my unique purpose in enrolling at that particular course then I went on to say that maybe I will start small by having my own Bed and Breakfast business before entering into the hotel and restaurant business. I did get a huge applause, since I was the last speaker and my purpose was so unique and different from theirs that they were all impressed on what a Big Dream I had set up for myself and my retirement years to come.

Graduation Day at the Constellation College of Hospitality

I’ve worked so hard in successfully completing the courses and graduated with honours as one of the top 3 in the Class ’91. We didn’t get any medals but in our Diplomas, it was clearly indicated that all three of us had graduated with honours and that alone sufficed. Who was Summa cum laude, Magna cum laude, or Cum laude? It didn’t really matter to us because in our minds and hearts we knew what honours belonged to each one of us, the honorees.

This has been My Graduation Day at the Constellation College of Hospitality!!!

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Directory of Universities, Colleges and Schools in Canada
Name Changes and Historical Information: Updates for 2014
Formerly known as ‘Constellation College of Hospitality, Toronto’.

Coronation College of Hospitality – Toronto, specialize exclusively in education, trainings & certifications which prepare our students for jobs in the industry and upgrade skills & knowledge of individuals engaged in the hospitality trade. Our Diploma programs & focused professional development courses prepare students for meeting the challenging and the ever-changing requirements of the industry. We are dedicated to success of our students & offer focused learning environments with current, industry related curricular & training materials.

Specialties

Oly is the travel blogger, documentarian on lakbaypilipinas.ca, also a writer-poet, photographer and artist whose work constitutes a blog-documentary in many aspects of life, people, places, arts, culture and traditions, even architecture. It's about trips at home and abroad, also flashbacks of trips on years gone by, reminiscing memorable experiences then back to the future and now, all these in the new blog. You will see, hear and read about the travels, feasting on foods around the globe, meeting people in places that she visits and sharing their traditions and goodwill, who visits countries that others only dream about and who wants to share with you all of her experiences never to be forgotten in this lifetime. From her old hometown to her new home she will marvel you with stories, and show you how small the whole world really is; if you love to travel. Now, let's start that wonderful journey together.